There have been significant attempts more recently, to couple and to integrate a mobile cellular telephone network, for instance, a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) network that is generally a circuit switched network to a another kind of network, known as a packet switched network, for instance, an internet protocol network or VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) network, wherein call information is transferred in the form of “packets” between the called member and the calling member and vice versa. The packet switched network uses several different ways or through-connections to transfer the packets between the users, whereas in the circuit switched world, for instance, the GSM network, a through-connection is established within the network and, as long as the through-connection is maintained, the whole call information including signalling and payload information is transferred via the through-connection in the circuit switched network between the users.
A through-connection in a communication network that comprises, for instance, a GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) network or a similar cellular telephone network and packet switched network being coupled with each other by interface means, is established in the conventional cellular telephone network via a base transceiver station, a base station controller and a mobile services switching centre to the interface that in turn is coupled to the internet protocol network or packet switched network.
Each node in a packet switched network which processes the payload information causes some delay in the payload transfer. Further, the transport of payload information over a combined circuit switched network with packet switched network requires high bandwidth for every allocated channel. It means that in some cases 64 kbps for every channel has to be allocated, which causes a significant waste of transmission resources. This means the known architecture of the GSM telephone network is deficient in some respects, or not very well suited for coupling to a packet switched network. The present invention intends to overcome the foregoing disadvantages of GSM networks.